DOVER, Del.—NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers often can look back to the previous race at a track and learn from it. They often go over notes and videotape just before they return, trying to jog their memories of what adjustments might have worked and which ones didn’t.

For Jimmie Johnson, he doesn’t need to think back to last June at Dover International Speedway to know what impacted his race.

Jimmie Johnson, front, is currently trying to catch Matt Kenseth in the Chase standings. (AP Photo)

In that race, Johnson was running second to Juan Pablo Montoya on a restart with 21 laps remaining when Johnson was ruled to have beaten Montoya to the start line.

Johnson believed Montoya faked the start in order to force Johnson into a penalty. NASCAR didn’t see it that way.

So will Johnson be prepared for such a maneuver in the AAA 400 on Sunday?

No. He won’t have to.

NASCAR changed the restart rules two weeks ago just prior to the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The second-place driver can now beat the leader to the start line as long as the second-place driver doesn’t mash the gas before the leader does to restart the race.

“It definitely had a role in that (rule change),” Johnson said when reminiscing about Dover in June. “I think it was three or four restarts I was a part of that helped shaped the rule that we have now. I think it’s a good fix.”

Most drivers liked the change in the rule. Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards were among those who were lobbying for the new rule in the weeks leading into Chicago.

There hasn’t seemed to be many problems in the first two weeks of the new rule. The only quirk is that since the green-flag drops when the leader mashes the gas and the race is considered “on,” the second-place driver actually is credited with leading the lap if that driver beats the leader to the line.

Drivers get one bonus point for leading a lap sometime during the race and another bonus point goes to the driver who leads the most laps.

“NASCAR did a good job by simplifying the restart rules,” Edwards said. “I think it makes it easier because the leader gets to start and after that it’s a race. That’s probably the simplest way to do it with the double-file restart.”

Johnson said the new rule allows the second-place driver to maintain position easier than at tracks where one groove is so much faster that the third-place driver has an advantage on second.

“It’s a good compromise for what the drivers and the front row have to manage,” Johnson said. “I’m glad that it’s in place. I hate that it took so long, but I think it’s a good change.”

Another reason drivers like it is because those in the line with the second-place driver don’t have to worry about the second-place driver having to slow down to avoid beating the leader to the line.

“Before if that (second-place) person took off and got a little bit too good of a start or the other car spun the tires, then all of a sudden they are checking up to not beat them to the line and it’s just causing chaos five and 10 rows back,” Gordon said. “You start getting people running into one another and damaging their cars and causing wrecks. Now it seems like both lanes sort of flow evenly to Turn 1.”

Kyle Busch agreed.

“You can have guys that are lined up side-by-side and one row push somebody harder than the other row and that row taking advantage getting into Turn 1,” said Kyle Busch. “So it can be certainly important to who's behind you and what all is going on in your rearview mirror rather than exactly what lane choice you need or want.

“I think now as soon as the flag drops the guy in the second row can push. It doesn't matter. … You can push right away and get that line moving and get an advantage.”